What Did You say?

What Did You Say?

Business ventures succeed because of definition, determination, and dedication. Often throughout that process there is disagreement and doubt, but, in the end, discussion and debate determine the desired direction. Starting and growing any business requires focus and hard work. Often differences are punctuated by heated debate. The end product, however, is determined by discussion and compromise.

As we’re told by the “Old Village Blacksmith”, heat is necessary to produce strength. But the blacksmith knows that without control and caution that heat can do damage. It’s the same with debates and differences of opinion. And language usage is a powerful ingredient in business discourse.

When I was a child I was told, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything.”

In comparison to today’s world, that philosophy seems to have come from a different planet. Not only are many of the comments we encounter now “not nice,” but also they are crude and vile.

I remember another comment about language usage from my early years. I don’t agree with it, but the thought has remained with me. We were told by some adults, “People who use vile language don’t know any better because they aren’t very smart.”

Such belief might be a product of culture or environment or just plain habit. But more and more, it seems to be a reaction to stress or frustration.

Probably many of us know people who rarely use such harsh language, but under certain conditions they “blow up.” That language seems to be coming from a total stranger. It’s “out of character” and it’s shocking.

Currently we seem to be experiencing an increased usage of this shock language from people in a wide variety of fields including: actors, politicians, business, students, and just plain folks.

The intent is to shock those who hear that language.

In 1978 the comedian, George Carlin, introduced his “shocking” language routine titled, “The Seven Words You Can’t Say On Television” and he proceeded to say all of them over and over again to the delight of his audiences. It was a delight because all the people knew the words, but they were never spoken as openly as he used them.

As time passed, however, common usage diminished the shock. It became just coarse, unnecessary, and vile. For many its usage served to diminish the image of the users rather than enhance them.

There is an interesting contradiction here. Everybody is free to use such language, but its use lessens the perceived status and professionalism of the user. That freedom of usage has a price, and all rights have consequences.

This is an appropriate time to examine our language behaviors and the impact they might have on our businesses, our communities, and us. The fact we are free to speak any way we want is a direct result of what we celebrated just three days ago on Independence Day.

Brave and dedicated people stood up and advocated what they believed to be right. They defended the valuable gifts they recognized and enjoyed, and they passed those rights on to us.

Now we are the stewards of those rights.

We certainly have the right to disagree with other people and to defend our beliefs. But that doesn’t mean we should abuse, insult, or diminish others in any way we choose. They have exactly the same rights as we do. We are free to disagree, but we have the responsibility to do it with civility.

People are being berated in some business organizations and institutions simply because of voicing opinions different from some of their co-workers. The rights of some people are being challenged because their views differ from those of others – others who possess the same freedoms to choose, as their opponents possess.

In our business, civic, and personal lives we treasure the rights we inherited, and now it’s our responsibility to preserve, protect, and defend them.

We have the right to speak our minds, but that right comes with the responsibility to respect the same rights others have to speak theirs.